1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to systems and methods for processing search requests and for performing searches over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The World Wide Web includes Internet servers hosting Web pages. A Web page may include, for example, links to other Web pages or resources, text, graphics, audio, and/or video content. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) provides or indicates that address to a resource, such as Web page. There are currently several billion Web pages.
In order to aid users locate Web page information, a variety of search engines have been developed and deployed. Search engines typically index Web pages, and provide a search interface that can be accessed at a corresponding URL via a user browser or otherwise. The search interface can include a search field, via which a user can enter search terms. The search engine then searches for Web pages that correspond to the search terms. The search results, or a portion thereof, are then returned to the user via the user browser.
Certain search engine provide pay per click, or PPC, advertising. Pay per click advertisements may be in the form of advertisements placed adjacent to the search results. When a user clicks on the advertisement, the advertiser may be charged. Similarly, certain search engines provide pay for placement and pay for ranking, wherein a customer can pay the search engine operator to achieve higher or more prominent placement in the search results.